US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) personnel played a major part in the successful test firing of the Navy’s first operational laser weapon during sea demonstrations in November 2014. The team operated sea targets for tests held in the waters off Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.

The demonstration firings of the new Navy laser weapon system (LaWS) took place aboard USS Ponce. USS Ponce is a forward staging base deployed to the US 5th Fleet.

NAWCWD maintains a sea test range at Point Mugu, California, where technicians operate aerial and seaborne targets for a wide variety of military weapon testing. The seven-man crew’s work began in November with a series of LaWS demonstrations. For eight days, the team joined in 60 laser-firing operations, including laser explosive firings and tracking-only demonstrations.